


Best Layed Schemes.

by TayBartlett9000



Category: The Secret of NIMH (1982)
Genre: Friendship, Future, Gen, Hope, Loss, Political Unrest, Thorn Valley, best layed schemes of mice and men, tenuous connection to Robert Burns day, the Plan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-15 23:50:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17538701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TayBartlett9000/pseuds/TayBartlett9000
Summary: Jonathan Brisby has been killed while drugging the farmer's cat and now Nicodemus is unsure whether the plan will succeed or fail. As political unrest spreads throughout the collony, Nicodemus must choose  whether or not to remain behind in the rose bush.The best layed schemes of  mice and men often go arry, and Nicodemus cannot allow that to happen.Written  for Burns day.





	Best Layed Schemes.

Until  yesterday I had thought that the plan was more or less of the brink of coming to fruition. We knew what we had to do. We all had our respective roles and we were ready to move  ourselves in a mass exodus to Thorn Valley.

But now, I am no  longer sure whether this will come to pass, or whether we shall be left in the dirt beneath  this rose bush,  slaves to  the  farmer and his resources.  Some of my fellows certainly seem to believe that to be true. And after last night I cannot say that I blame them.

Jonathan Brisby, one of my oldest and  dearest friends, was killed  last night  while helping with the plan. I wish I could say that it  was an event that could never have been forseen by us. But I cannot, for if I am being honest with myself, even I could see   that accident coming. He was so sure of  himself when he had first set out. He had been certain of success, a   little too certain to be truthful.

I had been certain of success too. I was sure that Jonathan would not fail. He had drugged the cat  so many times before yesterday’s tragic trip into the farmer’s kitchen, and I think that I, fool hardy though I may have been, thought my friend to be indistructable. He was the one who came up with the idea that got  every one of us out of Nimh, was he not? Jonathan was reliable. Jonathan was capable. Jonathan was invinsible.

But alas, he was not and had  never been invinsible. The only thing he had always been was clever. Clever, and very lucky.  Luck can only take us so far. I do know this to be true. And  yesterday, Jonathan’s luck ran out.

I don’t know who will deliver the vital medicine to Dragon now that Jonathan has lost his life. He was always the fastest at getting the job done. Giving the medicine to the farmer’s cat has always been a  very important  aspect of our plan  and without it, I fear that we cannot  proceed with the plan at all. We may  have to abandon it. Justin said that he would be more than happy  to give Dragon his medicine himself, but I had to inform him that he is needed to assist with the moving of our food stores.Besides, Justin is too big to fit through the hole in the floor. All of us rats are. The only mouse that  remains in our  colony is Mr Ages, and he is far too old to perform Jonathan’s task alone. I cannot risk his safety. He is a  too valuable a  member of our team to be lost drugging the  farmer’s cat, despite the great risk that  Dragon poses  to us.

It’s late. Many of my fellows are asleep, exhausted by the day’s work. I am glad for the privacy as  it has given me some time to think. And  I certainly have a lot to think about. I am beginning to  believe that  the problem  of   who will take up the task of drugging Dragon is  possibly the least of my concerns. My biggest worries might be the completion of the plan itself. The rats who  have been against the plan  from day one are beginning to amass  a greater number of believers. They are all beginning to rally around Jenner,  hanging onto every word he says and beginning to believe them too.

Up until last night, the rats who  had expressed  no  belief in the success of the plan had been relatively few and far between, but since we  all found out that Jonathan was never coming home, Jenner has managed to gather  together a rather large following. He  is  celling them the idea of safety  beneath the rose  bush. He tells everyone that  the world beyond our temperory home is  fraught with danger and that Jonathan’s death is just the start of it. Jenner states that the plan to move our entire colony to Thorn Valley is too risky and that if we continue, many more of us will die. .

 I had never taken Jenner’s dark, twisted and paranoyed  thoughts seriously until now.  I have heard him  question my ideas and  integrity  time and time again but I have always been able to dismiss them. So had many others. I had believed his statements to be nothing but ramblings, but now I do think that Jenner  could have a point. I do not like this. I hate the idea that our plan may fail, but I do have to accept the truth for what it is. The plan is risky, and it has always been risky. I know that. Jenner knows that and even Justin, one of my staunchest allies sees it.

Sitting  alone in the library, I am no longer sure whether we should continue with the plan. Jonathan was one of the plan’s strongest supporters and without him I do know that we will suffer for it. My heart bleeds when I think of his widow, alone in that cement block in the middle of the field. She will know by now that her husband will never be returning home to either her or her children. But about this, I can do absolutely nothing. All I can do is send my heart felt sympathies to Mrs Brisby and hope that she manages to rebuild the life that will have been torn apart by Jonathan’s absensce. If she ever comes to me  and asks for my help in any way, I shall of course do everything in my power to help her. No one who knew Jonathan could do any less.  But have greater concerns weighing upon my mind now, however. I have to decide what we will do from here on in.

I know that the people who support the plan are dwindling even as I sit here, but I cannot allow the plan to  fail because of our loss. I can honestly sit here and say without any doubt that Jonathan would never have wished me or anyone else to give up on the plan. After all, he gave his own precious life for our cause and I am sure that he would protest against the abandonment of the plan if he was here for me to speak to tonight. I know that he would tell me to keep going. He would tell me to quash Jenner’s rebellion and he would tell me to carry on with the plan regardless. I do know that this is what Jonathan would tell me. I have always listened carefully to anything that Jonathan had told me in the past and I see no reason to seace in my listening now that he is dead. 

So I shall continue. I do not believe that I have a choice. I am the leader of the rat colony, and  thus it falls to  me to make the decision. We shall not abandon the plan. I shall not allow my dearest friend’s death to be in vain. I shall inform the rest of the colony of this once the day  breaks and I will make sure to let everyone know that we will one day move to  Thorn Valley. It has been four years since our departure from Nimh and our  world is changing rapidly. We cannot  stay here much longer. We shall have to leave soon   before our existence is detected. I am certain that the people from Nimh are still looking for us and if we move to Thorn Valley, I know we will be safe. I must do all that I can to get us out of  danger.

In reading the books that have  come my way since leaving Nimh, I have gained much in the way of wisdom.  I read once that ‘the best layed schemes of  mice and men often go arry.’ I will not allow our plan to go arry. Our plan to move to Thorn Valley will be a success, no matter how difficult the venture may be. 

‘Goodbye, Jonathan,’ I tell  him silently as I finally   prepare for sleep, ‘thank you for everything you did for us, for the plan, and for me. You will be missed by us all. Your thoughts must comfort your wife tonight, for she will be waiting and you will not return. Please watch over her and watch over us. Please keep us safe.  Fairwell my friend.’ 

**Author's Note:**

> This story is also dedicated to and in rememberence of my own rats, my two beautiful boys Marvin and Arthur who died recently. I always picture them when i watch the secret of Nimh.


End file.
